AMY'S favourite dress must surely be ruined by now. Regardless of the remarkable cleansing properties of Vanish liquid, regular breakfast-time television viewers would expect that the little poppet's frock could by now be but a shadow of its original colourful glory.

Having endured hundreds of machine washes, you might expect its texture to be somewhere on the Tumbletwist side of boucle. The bright floral print ought to have faded to an Impressionistic melange of blotchy pastels. And that dazzlingly white broderie anglais trim? Gone grimly grey.

Yet, the real miracle is that although Amy is such a messy child (wilfully re-staining her favourite dress on a daily basis) magical powers of restoration have it looking absolutely brand new - even after 100 washes.

Mummy and Granny, however, are not faring quite so well. Time-served Vanishees - cult followers of the trend-setting Vanish liquid commercials - have been astonished to see android substitutions made for the two original, homely figures.

The original mother and grandmother seemed models of respectible sobriety. Sadly their substitutes have probably been drinking that Vanish liquid off-set. For their lips have lost all sense of synch. And Mummy's eyes bulge alarmingly right out of their sockets at that

dramatic moment when she is scripted to scream: ''Oh no, not chlorine bleach!''

All of this proves what a job it is keeping a bunch of kids looking clean and tidy, when most kids display such natural aptitude for getting in a right old mess. Thank goodness that mainstream childrenswear manufacturers understand that their ranges must be machine washable.

Even summer holiday gear - like the jeans, T-shirts and swimwear featured here - must be decently durable. Pint-sized casual clothes should be as serviceable as they are colourful. Or else it won't be Amy's favourite dress that is ruined. It will be her Mum.